The three-time Pro Bowl safety said a big reason he chose New Orleans -- presumably aside from the six-year, $54 million contract the Saints provided -- was the prospect of working with defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.

"To have that ability with an offense that's gonna put up points and a stingy defense like that and exotic in the way coach Ryan calls things, it's unorthodox, it's gonna keep people guessing," Byrd told ESPN.com's Mike Triplett. "That combination right there was enough."

Teaming the ball-hawking Byrd with last year's dynamic rookie Kenny Vaccaro will allow Ryan the flexibility to tinker with his coverages and pressure packages.

Byrd said that in his limited contact with Ryan, the defensive schemer is living up to his reputation.

"Yeah, definitely," Byrd said. "Look, he has some stuff in his head that he's gonna get out one way or the other."

The Saints might not have had the most overwhelming offseason in the NFL, but adding Byrd was like swapping a pawn for a queen on Ryan's proverbial chess board.